Safe
by silentpixiee
Summary: Skye is having a hard time sleeping after she learns the truth about her past, and there's only one person on the bus that she knows can help her. Post 1x12 Seeds. (SkyeWard fluff)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **Happy Monday! I was off work today and I'll be off tomorrow as well, due to dangerous temperatures, so I figured I'd do a bit of writing with all my extra time! I'm working on a few things right now- some of which are done and just need to be revised, but I actually dreamt this (crazy, I know) last night and well, I had to write it. Hopefully you all enjoy it and hopefully it makes sense lol. This will be a **2 part fic… **maybe 3, depending on how you all like it.

**Warning: **No beta was used, so all mistakes are mine. I apologize in advance for them.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing!

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Skye sat on her bed, her knees tucked close to her chest and an oversized hoodie- Ward's hoodie to be exact-pulled loosely over them.

She glanced down at her clock, sighing in frustration. It was almost 1:30 in the morning and she couldn't fall back asleep.

She'd woken up about an hour ago from a nightmare, tears cascading down her cheeks and sweat pooling across her forehead.

Things had been kind of rough since Coulson told her the truth about her past. Although she'd come to terms with it, she couldn't help but feel scared and alone sometimes. She knew Coulson would never let the people who were after her, take her, and she knew that the team would do anything in their power to keep her safe. But who would keep _them _safe?

If what Coulson told her was true, then everyone around her was at risk of dying. A whole village and two S.H.I.E.L.D teams had been massacred in order to get to her- who's to say these… people wouldn't do the same to _her _team?

She couldn't let that happen. She'd promised Coulson she would stop looking for answers; and she would, for now at least. But if she wanted to protect them, she had to at least figure out what her powers were.

"Powers." Skye scoffed. "Because I wasn't enough of a freak already…" she muttered to herself as she examined her hands. Had there ever been any signs? She'd never felt different or had any crazy talents that she could remember, and she sure as hell couldn't fight worth a damn, so a kick ass ninja was out of the question. Although, that would've come in handy during some of her more… intense foster home stays.

"Maybe they're wrong." She said to herself. "Maybe I don't actually have any powers. Maybe I'm just some bad omen, and people around me die."

That thought rekindled the fear she'd felt when she woke up. The thought of being the cause of Jemma, Fitz, Coulson, May, and Ward dying just shattered her.

Tears slowly fell down her cheeks as images of her teammates meeting horrible ends played through her mind.

She squeezed her eyes shut, trying with all her might to stop them, but she couldn't. This wasn't a nightmare she could wake up from, because she wasn't sleeping. This was just her mind deciding to play a cruel game with her. One she was losing.

She gripped the extra material of the sweater tightly in her fists, trying to absorb the essence of Ward that still lingered on the fabric. Ward was her safety. Nothing could hurt her when he was around. He protected her, despite all their differences and bickering, he never left her to fend for herself.

Not yet anyway.

What would Ward think of her when he found out she was a 0-8-4? Would he be afraid of her? Would he throw her off the plane? Would he turn her over to S.H.I.E.L.D HQ? Would he drop her ass off at the sandbox? Or would he just kill her right there on the spot?

She supposes if she had a choice, she'd probably want Ward to be the one to do it. Even knowing that he'd kill her, she'd like to think he'd do it humanly.

"What the fuck, Skye!" she growled at herself angrily.

God, she just wanted to sleep. She wanted to stop thinking so damn much. And she wanted to not feel so damn scared all the time!

She glanced at the clock once more. Twenty minutes had gone by without her noticing.

Sighing, she pulled her legs from under the hoodie and shuffled off the bed. This was pointless. Sitting here in the dark wasn't helping, so she might as well do something. Anything would be better than thinking.

"Like sleep." She sighed, slipping a pair of purple fuzzy socks on.

She quietly slid her door open and stepped out into the dark bus, quickly heading over to the kitchen. Maybe she'd try some of that nighttime tea Jemma talked so much about, or maybe she'd find some those sleeping pills she'd heard Jemma explain to Coulson once… although that probably wouldn't be smart. There's nothing worse than not being able to wake yourself up from a nightmare.

Nope. Tea it was.

AoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoS

She'd downed the tea within ten minutes of making it, burning her taste buds right off. She didn't care though, because the tea was working. Her eyelids were heavier than before and she was having a hard time keeping her head up.

"Finally." she breathed out, setting the mug in the sink and staggering sleepily towards her bunk.

She'd kept a hand on the wall, careful not to stumble on the way, but let go as soon as she felt cool glass on her finger tips.

She stood still for a moment, her eyes focusing on the closed door in front of her. _Ward. _

Skye contemplated her decision for another second before throwing caution to the wind and going in.

AoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoS

Skye slid the door shut behind her as quietly as she could. Ward would probably kick her out of his room as soon as he woke up, so she wanted to get any comfort she could from his mere presence before that happened.

The second her eyes landed on his sleeping form, she felt her body relax against the door. It was ridiculous how safe one person made her feel.

And scary.

Relying on one person to keep you safe and happy was dangerous. Life was unpredictable, especially with jobs like theirs. Letting someone in could be disastrous.

And yet…

She inched closer to his bed, expecting him to wake up any second now and yell at her for invading his personal space. She couldn't help it though. She was sleepy as hell and desperate for a nightmare free sleep, and the only way she saw that happening was if she was around him. He'd protect her even from her own convoluted mind.

Skye kneeled on the floor inches from his bed, trying hard to keep her breathing as quiet as possible. God, she felt like such a creep.

She scoffed quietly. How sad was she? Who sneaks into someone's room to feel _safe_? Her life was so messed up.

"Skye?"

_Shit._ Skye froze, feeling Ward shift in front of her.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, sitting up and switching his lamp on.

Skye swallowed, her throat suddenly going dry. _Shit, shit, SHIT!_

Ward frowned, looking down at her. He quickly noticed the dark circles under her red rimmed eyes, her pale face, and _his _sweater engulfing half of her petite body.

"Skye?" he carefully swung his legs over the edge of the bed so he didn't accidently kick her. "Why are you kneeling on my floor?"

Skye shifted uneasily, not quite sure what to do.

Ward was getting impatient. It was 2:30 in the morning and he'd woken up to find his rookie kneeling on the floor beside him, looking worse for wear.

"Are you ok?" he asked after a few minutes of silence.

Skye sat back on her legs and glanced up at him nervously, biting her lip.

"Hey, talk to me." He said, his voice rough from sleep.

"I-" she glanced down, fidgeting with her nails. "I couldn't sleep." She finally said, softly.

Ward sighed, running his calloused hands over his face.

"So you thought it'd be a good idea to come wake me up? Needed some company?" he said, almost jokingly.

He regretted it instantly though when he noticed tears forming in her tired eyes.

"Sorry, I—I'll just go." She muttered, clumsily getting to her feet and turning to leave.

Ward frowned, more confused than ever.

"Wait!" he said, grabbing her wrist and pulling her back. "Why are you here?"

Skye contemplated lying to him, but then she remembered her "no more secrets" rule, so no, the truth it was.

"You make me feel safe." She said quietly, looking up at him.

Ward's expression softened, hearing the slight waver in her voice. His rookie was scared.

"What's going on, Skye?" he asked gently tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

"Nightmare." She shrugged.

Ward's eye narrowed as he took in Skye's body language. He had no doubt she'd had a nightmare, but he was almost 100% positive she wasn't telling him everything.

"What about?" he asked, leading her to the bed and helping her sit down.

Skye wanted to tell him. She really did. But she was terrified of what he'd do. Ward was the last person she ever wanted to hurt. Not again.

Telling him would most likely get him killed somehow. Coulson was adamant about her keeping this a secret. But not telling him the truth would probably kill any possibility they had of making this friendship between them work. He'd lose all trust in her and that… well that would hurt… _ a lot_.

"Skye, you can trust me." He assured her, taking her hand in his.

"You'll hate me." She whispered, looking over at him. "If I tell you, you'll hate me, but if I don't tell you… you'll hate me too."

To say Ward was confused was an understatement. But he remained quiet, allowing Skye to gather her thoughts. It was clear that whatever was going through his rookie's head was not good, and he wasn't going to make it worse by pushing.

"Ward?" she whispered, locking eyes with him.

"Yeah?"

"Can- I'm…" Skye sighed, frustrated with her inability to speak.

"Trust me." He said, his voice gentle and low.

She sighed, her shoulders slumping forward. "I'm so tired." She finally managed to get out, her eyes watering as she spoke.

Ward frowned, concern overriding his curiosity.

"Ok, let's get you to bed then." He said, lacing his fingers with hers and standing.

Skye pulled against his hold making him look down at her.

"Can I stay with you?" she asked, panic flashing in her eyes. "I'll sleep on the floor and I won't make any noise. I promise." She said pleadingly.

Ward didn't say anything for a few seconds, as he tried to figure out what could possibly be bad enough to scare Skye this much, and land her here in his room, seeking his protection.

Don't get him wrong, he was happy and grateful that Skye trusted him enough to come to him; to know that he'd keep her safe, because he would, no matter what. But it was hard to keep someone safe if he didn't know what he was fighting against.

"I'll tell you everything tomorrow. I swear." Skye said, knowing that she'd want –_need_- to know the truth if the roles were reversed.

Ward regarded her for a second before pulling her up into a standing position.

Skye's face fell, sure that he was kicking her crazy, secret keeping ass out of his room, but quickly found herself surrounded by strong arms as he pulled her small frame to him.

"Whatever it is you need to tell me, won't change a damn thing between us." He said with conviction in his voice. "I'm you're SO, Skye. But before that, I'm your friend." He pulled back and wiped a few tears from her face. "You can trust me. I won't turn my back on you; ever."

Skye squeezed her eyes shut and stepped into his arms again, wrapping hers tightly around his waist. God, she really hoped he meant it.

"Now come on. Let's get a few hours of sleep. You can't train properly if you're walking around like a zombie." He smiled softly, pushing her towards his bed.

"I can sleep on the floor; I don't want to take your bed away from you, Grant."

Ward froze at the use of his first name. Skye had never used his first name before, and God help him, he kind of liked how it sounded coming from her mouth.

"I'll just go grab my covers and then—"

"No." he said, shaking himself out of his thoughts. "You're not taking my bed. You're _sharing _it." He lifted the covers up and gestured for her to get in. "Scoot over." He said, slipping in after her.

Skye shuffled backwards until her back hit the wall, trying to make herself as small as she possible, so Ward could sleep comfortably next to her.

"Skye, stop."

"Stop what?"

"Just relax." He said, pulling her closer to him. "It's ok." Ward draped his arm around her shoulder and tucked her into his side.

She let out a deep breath and finally allowed herself to relax when his arm settled comfortingly on her hip. _Safe._

"Thank you." She muttered sleepily.

"Shhh, get some sleep, rookie. I've got you. You're safe." He assured softly.

Skye smiled as her eyes slid shut and sleep took her under.

_I know. _

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**A/N: **So… what'd you think? I hope you all enjoyed this little piece of fluff. I'm having AoS withdrawals so I'm reading and writing as many fics as I can to keep myself busy until the 4th. Anyway, please let me know what you think so far! Do you all want to see a part 2?

Much love,

Pixiee


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Gosh, I really hope you guys like this last installment. I had a really rough day today and I kind of used this chapter as an outlet of sorts, so sorry if it's a little angsty. I wasn't planning on it being this way, but it is what it is. I was contemplating on whether I should post this now or wait until tomorrow, so that I could change it up a bit, but I figured ya'll wouldn't want to wait much longer, so here it is. I apologize in advance.

**Warning: **I think there's a swear word or two in here somewhere…

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**Disclaimer: **I don't own Marvel or anything in its Universe. If I did, Skye and Ward would have hooked up by the end of the first episode…

Grant lay in bed, careful not to jostle the sleeping girl beside him. He'd been awake for almost an hour, but Skye seemed to be in a peaceful sleep, and he'd be damned if he woke her up from that. So, instead of doing his regular morning routine and heading to the gym, he'd opted to catch up on some reading. However, that had proven difficult, considering all he could think about was his frightened rookie.

He was almost 100% sure that whatever was going on with Skye, had to do with her past. He'd been stuck at the Academy for a few hours without her, but when the team had come back for him, Skye had seemed… different somehow. More subdued and withdrawn.

He should have talked to her then, but he wasn't exactly an expert at the whole sharing and caring thing… at least until now. While he didn't like to admit it, being on this team had definitely softened him up a bit.

One member in particular…

Ward glanced down at the person in question, feeling her shift beside him.

He smiled softly, watching as her eyes fluttered open.

"Morning." He said quietly, setting his book down.

Skye smiled up at him shyly, taking in their current position.

Her body was pressed to Ward's side, her head resting on his shoulder, one arm pinned between their bodies and one stretched across his waist, and one of her legs tangled between his. Even if Ward had wanted to move, she pretty much had him trapped.

"I'm sorry." She said, beginning to untangle herself from him self-consciously.

Ward brought his arm around her and kept her in place, secretly loving the closeness between them.

"Hey, it's ok." He assured her softly. "Stay."

Skye nodded silently and laid her head down on his chest, the soft beat of his heart helping her relax.

They both remained quiet for a while. Skye thinking about how she was going to tell Grant everything Coulson had told her, and Ward drawing soothing circles on her back, giving her the time she clearly needed.

"Thank you for letting me stay." Skye said, breaking the silence first.

Ward glanced down, not stopping his ministrations on her back. "Did it help?"

"Best sleep I've gotten in a long time." She said honestly.

Ward smiled, glad he could help her.

"I guess we should talk about it, huh?"

"We don't have to if you don't want to, Skye."

Skye sighed, reluctantly pulling away from him and sitting up, immediately missing his warmth.

Ward pushed up on his elbows and shuffled back so that he was upright and leaning against the wall.

"It's bad." She said, biting her lip nervously. "And it scares me to tell you."

Ward reached out and grabbed her hand in his; trying his best to reassure her that it was ok.

"Don't be scared. Not with me." He said, squeezing her hand lightly. "Whatever it is, I'll still be here."

Skye nodded silently and looked away, not feeling strong enough to face him while she explained.

"Coulson and May know, but they made me promise not to tell you, Jemma, or Fitz." She said quietly, "But I'm sick of all these damn secrets, Grant. I don't want to do it anymore… not to you."

Ward leaned forward, gently turning her head with his finger, so that she was looking at him.

"Whatever you tell me right now, will not leave this room, Skye." He promised. "Trust me, please."

She closed her eyes, leaning into his touch. "I do trust you. I trust you more than I've ever trusted anyone in my life."

Ward's chest tightened at her words; the conviction behind them causing a flurry of emotions to pass through him. Fear, protectiveness, happiness… love?

_What the hell was happening?_

Skye pulled away and sat back against the wall near the window, careful not to pull her hand loose from his. She needed him.

"Remember the day Coulson and May dropped us off at the Academy, while they went off to "deal with something" on their own?"

Ward nodded, remembering how suspicious they'd all been when May had told them they'd be going on the mission alone.

"Turns out May had tracked down someone from my past." She sighed sadly. "A S.H.I.E.L.D. agent named Richard Lumley. Coulson said he had been hiding out in Mexico or something… that isn't important though. What is important is that he knew me."

"How?"

Skye shifted nervously, bringing her knees up to her chest, unconsciously wrapping Ward's hoodie tighter around herself with her free hand.

Ward noticed the way she wrapped the hoodie around herself protectively, bringing a small smile to his face. He was glad that something as simple as his sweater could make her feel safe and secure.

"Lumley and his partner, Agent Avery, had been assigned to track down a 0-8-4 in a small remote village of China. A team had been sent in a little while before them, but something had gone wrong, so their team got sent in as backup." She explained, starting to feel her anxiety rise as she got closer to the _real _truth.

"Hey, it's ok." Ward rubbed soothing circles on her palm, feeling her start to tremble lightly.

"Agent Lumley told Coulson that when he and Avery arrived with their team, everyone… the-"She took a deep breath, trying to keep the tears forming in her eyes back. "Everything was on fire. Everyone was dead. The people who lived in the village, the S.H.I.E.L.D team… everyone." She cried, unable to stop herself.

Ward pulled Skye towards him, wanting her closer. He had a feeling things were about to get a lot heavier than this.

"Agent Lumley and Avery fought their way into the area, along with their team, trying to look for survivors, and stumbled on one of the agents. He was already dead, but he was holding onto the 0-8-4, so Avery took it and got it onto the bus safely with Lumley."

Ward watched as the color slowly drained from her face and her breathing picked up a bit. He pulled Skye closer, practically sitting her on his lap, and took her face in his hands.

"Take it easy." He soothed, "Breathe Skye."

Skye leaned in closer, locking eyes with his. She had never been more terrified than she was in this moment.

_Say it. Just say it. _She ordered herself.

"Ward…"

"It's ok." He assured her, wiping away a stray tear with the pad of his thumb.

"I'm the 0-8-4." She whispered brokenly, watching his face for any reaction.

Ward remained still for a few moments, trying to process what he'd just heard come out of Skye's mouth. _0-8-4. Skye- __**his rookie**__- was a… an unknown? _

"Ward, say something… please." She whispered, tears streaming down her face.

Ward pulled back suddenly, letting go of her in the process, and got off the bed.

"Grant—"

Ward looked over at her, a deep frown marring his face. He needed a minute. Just one minute.

Without saying a word, he turned his back on her and walked out of the room, shattering Skye's world in the process.

AoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoS

Skye felt numb.

She'd lost track of time at this point, so she didn't know how long she'd been sitting in his room for, afraid- _unable _- to move.

The tears had long since dried up, leaving nothing but white salty trails down her cheeks, and an empty feeling in her heart.

Ward walking out on her shouldn't have been a surprise. She _knew _it would happen. She knew it and she had been ok with it, because telling him the truth- _trusting him_- was a hell of a lot better than lying to him and risk him finding out later, and hating her for it.

So why couldn't she move then? Why did it feel like someone had literally ripped her heart out of her chest? Why was it so hard to fucking _breathe _without him in the room?

She knew this would happen.

AoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoS

Ward paced the length of Skye's bunk as he tried to process everything she'd told him.

He knew Skye was probably upset about him walking out, but he just needed a minute to get his head together.

The agent in him, all his years of training, told him that she was a threat. 0-8-4's were nothing to mess with. They were dangerous. But _he _knew her. He, Grant, not Agent Ward, knew that Skye was anything _but _dangerous.

Skye was the happiest, most positive, and selfless person he'd ever met. No matter how hard he pushed her or how many times he hurt her with his words or actions, Skye never held a grudge against him or anyone else for that matter. What he saw as complete disrespect for authority, she considered standing up for those who couldn't stand up for themselves. What he saw as collateral damage, she saw victims… faces… _real people. _

No, Skye was not dangerous at all. His rookie was all heart, and he was going to make sure she stayed that way.

Her 0-8-4 status didn't matter. At least not when it came to their personal relationship and how he viewed her. She was still going to be his pain-in-the-ass, 'can't shoot a gun worth a damn', bleeding heart, rookie. And if anyone ever tried to take her away from him, a 0-8-4 would be the least of anyone's concern.

AoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoS

Ward hurried back to his bunk, cursing at himself for losing track of time.

His door was the same as he'd left it, so Skye hadn't left.

_Thank God. _He thought, sliding the door open and stepping in.

He turned towards his bed and froze.

Skye hadn't moved from the spot he'd left her in, except for the fact that she was currently rocking back and forth. Her face was devoid of any expression as she stared blankly at the clock on his bedside table.

He walked to the bed, careful not to startle her, and took a seat beside her, wincing as he noticed the dried tear marks down her face.

_Shit. Shit. Shit. _

"Skye…"

Ward swallowed, his throat suddenly feeling dry.

"Skye, you with me?" he asked, tentatively touching her hand.

Skye startled at the touch, pulling her hand back, but not breaking the contact. She raised her gaze to Ward's, but he could tell that she still wasn't with him yet.

"I'm sorr—"

"You left." She whispered brokenly, cutting him off.

"I'm sorry. I just needed a—"

"I knew you'd leave me." She muttered, almost as if she hadn't heard Ward talk. "I knew it would happen..."

Ward's jaw clenched as he tried to keep it together. Skye looked… broken, and it was his fault.

"Skye, listen to me." He said taking both of her hands in his. "I need you to listen, ok?" he shook her a little wanting to make sure she was _hearing _him.

Skye locked eyes with him letting him know she was listening.

"I'm not leaving you." He started to explain.

"But—"

"Stop, just listen to me." He said cutting her off.

Skye nodded silently.

"I'm not leaving you. Not now and not ever." He assured her. "I just- I needed a minute alone to process it all."

Skye continued to stare silently, blinking a few times as moisture started to build up in her eyes.

Ward's gaze softened as her eyes watered, chastising himself for hurting her.

"I'm sorry." He whispered, leaning his forehead against hers. "I didn't mean to hurt you."

Skye closed her eyes and took a deep breath, the air around her suddenly not so thick anymore.

"Are you scared?" she muttered quietly.

Ward frowned.

"Of what?"

"Of me."

Ward pulled away a distressed look on his face.

"Hell no." He said without hesitation. "You're still the same Skye. You're still _my _Skye. Nothing is going to change that."

Skye gasped quietly at his words. She was _his_ Skye?

"After today, we're not discussing this again." He said matter of fact. "May and Coulson will not know that _I _know. Nothing has changed." He said, looking at her sternly.

"But they have changed, Grant." She said, pulling back a little. "People are after me. The same people that massacred an entire village and killed dozens of S.H.I.E.L.D agents! I don't want anyone else to die protecting me. I don't want _you _to die. I can't lose you." She cried brokenly.

"No one is going to die, Skye. They can't hurt you if they can't find you." He smirked.

"What if they do? What if someone finds out what I am and—"

"No one is going to find out."

"Bu—"

"But _if _anyone ever did find out and those people came after you, they'd never get close to you." He promised. "I'm won't let anyone hurt you, Skye."

"What if they hurt you first? What if you die trying to protect me, Grant?" she said tearfully, shaking her head as images of Ward dying plagued her mind.

Ward sighed, pulling her closer.

"Skye-"

"I can't lose you." She whispered softly.

"You won't." he promised, wrapping his arms around her waist.

Skye shuffled forward, closing the gap between them, and threw her arms around his neck, pulling his body flush against hers.

"I got you, Skye." He whispered softly, rocking them back and forth soothingly.

"I know." She whispered back.

Ward smiled, hugging her just a little bit tighter. No one would ever get close enough to her to hurt her as long as he was around.

Skye relaxed into his hold, happy for once.

_Safe._

* * *

**A/N: **I hope you all enjoyed the chapter! See you on the next one! Reviews are love, so leave me some love please!

3 Pixiee


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